


Hero of Another Story

by MissRemember



Category: Hoshi no Kaabii | Kirby: Right Back at Ya!, Kirby (Video Games)
Genre: (mostly), (or at least an attempt at one OTL), Backstory, Blood and Violence, But I promise it's a story about ~friendship!~, Canon Compliant, Full of references, Gen, Meta Knight is a being of chaos, OCs - Freeform, OCs which consist...entirely of monsters, Sorry about that in advance, War is hell, Written as if nobody knows who these characters are, episodic, for ~dramatic effect~, headcanons, long chapters
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-16
Packaged: 2021-03-18 20:15:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 14,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29124024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissRemember/pseuds/MissRemember
Summary: It is said that every individual, regardless of their prominence in a narrative, has a unique, complex story behind their character. Before Kirby ventured on the path to becoming a great hero, there was another whose journey paved the way for him to get there. This is an account of that journey.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	1. Enter the Masked Swordsman!

The stars above Towara shone brightly, its moon even brighter.

Below, two blue Poppy Bros Junior stood at their post, outside of a shifting tower. Though the tower was short compared to the skyscrapers on other parts of the planet, it was no less important to the surrounding town, which mostly consisted of cubical houses and was laid out in a very neat grid despite its size. The vegetation was sparse, mostly consisting of grass and a few trees. Along one end, not too far from its center, a river ran, bringing water to a nearby city.

The patterns cast onto the trees from the moon reflecting on the water distracted one of the Bros, the Watch Captain for the night. He stared at the dancing lights, bored out of his mind and lost in directionless thought before his partner, a regular scout, interrupted him.

“Hey…” he said. “What if...do you ever think about...what if the Grand Mam is actually just still alive somewhere? What would happen then?”

“...What?” The captain asked, snapping out of his mini-trance. “What do you mean ‘what if she’s alive somewhere?’ We all know that the Yellows killed her.”

“Well, yeah,” the scout countered, “But...I mean...I dunno, I just think about it sometimes. Like, if all this fighting between us and the Yellows is because of her dying, would it just...stop if she was actually found alive somewhere?”

The captain didn’t quite know what to make of this idea. It seemed, to him, like his partner was beginning to overtire, or perhaps, like many other Blues, he was just exhausted from the fighting amongst their neighboring tribes. He wasn’t entirely sure how to address the latter thought, given that they were both on duty, so instead he opted to dismiss it entirely.

“I think you’ve been listening to too many conspiracy theories.”

Before the other Poppy Bro could respond, they were both silenced by a rustling from behind them.

Immediately they turned, detached hands prepared to shape the bombs for which they were known. Of course, once a bomb was created, the only method of destruction was its own explosion. Historically, this had proven to be a disadvantage against non-Poppy foes, and made it difficult to adopt a “shoot first, ask questions later” mentality-- a mentality which the two found themselves very tempted to employ as they met the magenta eyes of some...creature, somehow almost completely obscured by the thin tree flanking one side of the building.

“Who are you? State your business.” Said the captain, stepping closer in an attempt to intimidate despite his species’ cutesy appearance.

The eyes responded by going dark. 

For a brief moment, the Bros were confused. The scout even began to question whether or not what they had seen was real. The question was quickly answered when, slowly emerging beside the tree, a black mass made of material that could very loosely be described as “gooey” began to take form. It stepped out, bit by bit, with something that one could much  _ more _ loosely described as a “limb”-- “limbs” that were unnaturally long and rounded at the points where extremities would normally be. The creature dwarfed the Poppy Bros in height and was, strangely, much wider than the tree behind which it had just been hiding.

Once again, its magenta eyes opened, staring at its inquisitors. They were just as glowy and indistinct as when they’d first seen them. After a moment, the creature shrunk to size more comparable to the Bros, though the transformation didn’t make them feel much more comforted.

“I-I asked you a question!” The captain called out again, embarrassed by a slight, fearful stutter. “Why are you here? What do you want?”

The head of the creature, more of a round nub with eyes, tilted to the side, not breaking its gaze on the Bros.

“This...this is your final warning!” The scout spoke up, bringing his hands closer together. “State your business or we’ll...we’ll…!”

As the second Bro’s threat started to stutter and fade out, the creature tilted its head to the other side, then, slowly, a hole began to open up beneath its eyes. A dark hole. A dark hole filled with sharp, white teeth. A dark hole filled with sharp, white teeth, out of which rolled a long, thin, pink tongue.

The captain froze, barely able to comprehend what he was seeing. “Wh- _ what in Nova’s na-!” _ He started to sputter, cut off by a shriek and a familiar hiss, though he found himself too paralyzed to look over.

Beside him, his partner was screaming in terror, shaky hands preparing to lob a newly-formed bomb at the thing “smiling” before them. Sensing movement, said thing released a screech of its own, extending one of its limbs past its would-be attacker and hitting him in the chest with a hard  _ thud _ , sending the hapless Poppy Bro backwards into a perimeter fence, which in turn sent him face-down onto the ground, coughing from the impacts. Above him, the bomb that had been thrown from his hand exploded harmlessly.

_ “Hah!”  _ The still-standing Poppy Bro cried out in shock and, admittedly, terror. This noise attracted the attention of the creature, but rather than simply batting him away, it tackled him to the ground, using its surprisingly immense weight and unsurprisingly gloopy body to surround him and keep him pinned.

The captain turned his head to the side, watching his still-recovering partner struggle to get to any state resembling standing. For a moment, their eyes met, and while it would be quite the story to say that the moment gave said partner a burst of courage that would lead him to save the day, in reality he just burst into tears. The pinned Bro sighed shakily and turned his head skyward, trying his hardest to look past the creature’s widening maw, up at the moon and stars. As he came to accept his fate, he pondered how things so beautiful could preside over something so horrible, perhaps horrors even worse than this. Even if, as inanimate objects, they couldn’t do anything, he concluded as he closed his eyes, at least they made for a pleasant last sight.

_ If only my last feeling could be better _ , he thought, reacting to what was unmistakably the tongue of his assailant grazing his cheeks. He scrunched up his face and tried to fight back tears of his own as he heard the shallow, clicking growl of an inhuman predator about to strike.

Then it stopped.

For a moment, there was absolute silence, and the captain honestly thought that he had died. But then he realized that if he were dead, he wouldn’t be able to think that he was dead. It wasn’t until he felt the hands of his partner shaking him awake that he opened his eyes.

“Are you okay?” The scout asked, panic still lingering in his voice.

“Uh…” The first Bro trailed off, fixated on the sight directly above him. The head of the creature was twisted completely around, tongue frozen in a swirling position in the air. In fact, the thing’s whole body seemed to be frozen-- not even the goop that had cascaded about its form seconds ago was in motion. If either of the Bros had to guess, it had something to do with the small, somewhat-indistinct figure perched on top of it. Said figure seemed to be withdrawing something from the creature, causing it to emit what were definitely sounds, but were impossible to describe.

With a grunt and a final yank, the figure extracted something from the creature, causing it to disintegrate before the Poppy Bros’ eyes. As it did so, it flailed a multitude of limbs outward, desperately latching onto anything it could grab. Though it easily caught the Bros, causing their panic to ignite once more, the appendages simply shrank and receded, releasing them without incident as the creature finally disappeared. All that remained was a magenta crystal, impaled on the end of a thick silver épée that glinted in the moonlight. Through the cracks in the crystal, tiny black tentacles tried to slither out, but none got very far before receding again.

As the scout helped the captain to his feet, the captain looked at the figure holding the sword. He was, surprisingly, a bit shorter than they were. His back was to them, only allowing them to see a blue cape and a white glove gripping the sword’s hilt.

Before either Bro could say anything, the stranger spoke.

“Are you all right?” He asked in a deep voice, speaking in an accent neither of the other two recognized.

The guards exchanged glances, then looked back at the figure. “Who...are you?” The captain asked, standing up fully now.

“I believe that I asked you a question first.” The figure replied curtly.

“...We’re...fine, I guess.” The scout answered. “Now who-”

“Good.” The figure interrupted. He brought the sword in front of him, inspecting the impaled crystal. “Clearly much has happened here. I imagine your Senior will be very interested to hear of this.”

“W-well, yeah, of course, but-”

“I am glad that you agree. Certainly you two would be able to afford me such an audience?”

“Probably, but who-”

“Very good. Thank you. We should be going, then.” With that, the figure began to stride toward the building.

The two exchanged glances once again, silently concluding that they were not going to get any answers. They sighed and ran to catch up to the stranger. 

/*|*\

Inside the building at the center of the town, a Poppy Bro Senior paced through his office. He looked much the same as the Juniors who lived in the town under his watch, but a bit bigger, and with a pointy, multicolored, bejeweled hat. Normally he would have left long before that hour, but he was expecting news, news he wasn’t sure whether or not he was excited to receive.

On one hand, hearing that an entire battalion of Yellows were wiped out would be welcome to their cause. It’d boost the morale of the Blue forces, surely, and give them a definite advantage in the conflict. Perhaps the spirit of the Grand Mam would be proud.

On the other, there was no doubt that the retaliation would be swift and fierce. Such a concern was the reason for the extra protection throughout the town that night. Who knew what the extent of their rage would be? Would it be an aggressive assault, an outburst of angry forces? Or would it be a calculated revenge, meant to slowly and strategically return what had been done to them? Aside from that, the Senior had to admit, the prospect of being the cause of several deaths weighed heavy on his conscience. Regardless of whether or not they were enemies, they were still living things, sentient, and of course, fellow Poppy Bros.

The official stopped abruptly and took a deep, shaky breath, looking over at his desk. Beside the computer monitor and keyboard, amongst all the paperwork and little decorative trinkets, a red book laid, the gold logo on its front seeming to glare back at him. He was never really sure what the logo was supposed to represent. It looked almost like a tall semi-human figure, or maybe a ridiculously fancy letter T? With...horns? He wasn’t quite sure. All it seemed to resemble right then was a Rorschach blob, and he didn’t like what it was telling him.

When he had gotten it, he was certain that it was going to be the key to victory, an advantage that the other side certainly wouldn’t have. The architecture of the building allowed for easy construction and easier concealment of the equipment, given the built-in ability for the place to shift walls and floors, and their technology was plenty advanced enough to handle the power of the Internet. While utilizing this service was a great expense, the returns in terms of what it would do for them were much greater.

Or, at least, they seemed much greater at the time.

Now, standing in his office, having ordered a killer from Nova-knows-where and siccing it on a group of people, the Poppy Bro Senior began to reconsider.

He turned sharply to his desk and didn’t bother to sit down as he flipped open the cover of the book to find the contact information just inside. With one eye on the book, he used the computer to connect to the support line.

Almost immediately, a video feed sprang to life on the monitor, taking up the whole screen. On it, a man with gray skin, green hair, and an impeccable sense of style greeted him, adjusting his orange-lensed sunglasses.

“Thank you for contacting the Night Mare Enterprises Customer Service line, where your satisfaction is our top priority!” the Customer Service rep took a brief pause, as if to discern who he was talking to. Once he did, opened his hands in a welcoming gesture. “Well, well! Senior B! Didn’t expect you to call back so soon. Is there something I can do for you?”

The jaunty, suave voice of Customer Service contrasted sharply with the anxious mood of his client. It didn’t even occur to said client to question why it was that the salesman who’d processed his order was the same person on the customer support line.

“U-uh...I need...I have...I have concerns about...the monster.”

“Do you? Please, allow me to address them.” Answered a voice from beyond the monitor.

“Is there...someone else in the room with you?” Customer Service asked.

“I…” The Poppy Bro Senior shifted his gaze away from his call, seeing that the front wall had opened. How had he missed that…?

The two Poppy Bros Junior who’d been on guard patrol in the back of the building rushed in, but he knew that the voice couldn’t belong to either of them. They each tried to stammer something out, it sounded almost as if they were relaying an event, but they were disorganized and shaken, and couldn’t seem to put a sentence together, so eventually they quieted and looked back at the figure behind them. Said figure stepped into the light filtering into the room from the window across from him. 

There didn’t seem to be much to him. He was the shortest one in the room, blue-skinned with white gloves, purple shoes (or were those his feet…?), a navy cape with a white lining and, curiously, a turquoise collar. The cape was secured to his shoulders by silver-and-gold pauldrons. It was difficult to distinguish much more about him, as he was nearly completely covered by a silver-colored mask, save for a pair of glowing yellow eyes. Of course, as he had a...thingy...impaled on a brandished sword, he commanded the attention of the room.

“Distinguished Senior,” he addressed in an accent nobody in the room recognized, holding part of his cape against himself with his non-sword hand and bowing. “It is a privilege to have this audience with you. I understand you must have several questions, as I do for you.” He straightened.

“...B, your skill in wall decor is  _ excellent _ , but if you wouldn’t mind coming back to our conversation…” The Senior’s computer said.

“Who is that?” The caped figure asked.

“Oh, it’s, uh, it’s...I don’t…” The Poppy Bro Senior, despite having expected something to happen all night, did not expect this.

“If you believe that you are hiding something, there is no need.” The masked swordsman spoke again, waving his weapon slightly. “I am well aware of where this came from. And I believe I may have an idea of who it is you are talking to. It would be rude to exclude them, no?”

Sheepish, and a bit ashamed, the official turned the screen toward the other three. He had no idea why he was listening to this...person, when any bomb he could make would likely be more powerful than his weapon. Perhaps it was something about his confidence? His commanding tone? His unsettling, unblinking stare? Regardless, the Senior felt compelled to comply.

“Ah, I didn’t realize this was going to be a group meeting! I’d have dressed better.” Customer Service said nonchalantly. Though, tellingly, his gaze became set on the impaled crystal.

“You are new.” The swordsman said flatly.

“Now I wouldn’t say that. I’ve been here for the better part of-”

“So they’ve diversified the sales force.”

“Nope! Just me! No need to replace what’s already perfect.” The wink was audible.

“...Hm.” The masked figure shrugged. “So you are Customer Service.”

“That’s what they call me.” The agent adjusted his glasses again. “Now, B, about that monster-”

“Ah, yes, MSR-46767867. Impo. Indeed, we should be discussing it.”

The normally-confident salesman almost seemed to falter at this. While information like the name and serial number of a monster were listed in customer catalogues, he knew for a fact that he’d never sold to this...person.

“Impo is a versatile monster.” The...person...continued. “Its entire body can form into any shape necessary to complete its mission. Once it is assigned, it will not stop until its objective is complete...or it is forced. While very useful for certain outings, its orders must be very specific, or else you risk something going wrong. Perhaps something such as...losing your own men.”

There was a brief, oppressive silence as the Poppy Bros Junior looked down, refusing to meet the questioning, guilty gaze of their Senior.

“...It’s getting a little heavy in here, isn’t it?” Customer Service finally chimed in. “This information was available in Impo’s manual, Senior B. And of course Night Mare Enterprises always recommends the full understanding of the proper function of a monster before its use.”

“As we can see, that manual has proved quite effective against impending disaster.” The swordsman retorted. “At any rate, you are very lucky. Aside from its over-reliance on proper instruction, Impo has another, physical weakness.” He pointed the blade forward, placing the crystal in full view. “Its heart, which, as you may  _ also _ know from your manual, is quite fragile.”

With that, he flicked the sword upward, sending the crystal into the air. When it fell to his eye level, he sliced it easily in half, causing it to disintegrate into shards, then dust.

“Impressive,” The salesman commented, sounding less than impressed. “You sure seem to know your stuff.”

“It is something of my life’s work.” The other man answered, taking out a small cloth to polish his barely-marked blade.

It was then that Customer Service noticed the golden star badge on his left shoulder. “Ah, you’re one of those  _ Star Warriors _ , huh?”

“Indeed I am.”

“You know, it’s interesting. Usually there’s more than one of you.”

“If you are trying to discern the location of an army, there is no point. I am working alone.”

“Are you, now?”

“I am.”

“Okay, so,” The scout spoke up, “This banter, it’s all really cool-sounding and stuff, and I’m sure there’s a lot of...I dunno...exposition going on right now. But...I think I speak for everyone when I say that we’re all really confused, and would really appreciate an explanation that’s not veiled in…” he gestured broadly, “Whatever you guys have got going on here.”

“Of course.” Customer Service clasped his hands together. “Please allow me to help you guys out. As always, your satisfaction is our highest pri-”

“Distinguished Senior, I would like to ask respectfully that you end this communication with Night Mare Enterprises before we proceed.”

“With all due respect, B, we have a working relationship, and this guy just showed up out of nowhere and destroyed your monster in front of you. We don’t even know his name.”

“Ah, yes, how rude of me.” The swordsman bowed again. “I am Meta Knight. It is an honor to meet you.” He straightened. “And I would like to respectfully ask that you end this communication, as I have saved your men’s lives, and this representative put on this planet the thing that almost ended them.”

“B, I had  _ no _ intention of leaving you high and dry with this monster. You called me because you needed my help, didn’t you? And who would be able to help better than the guys who know these things inside and-”

_ Smack! Smack! Smack! _

Everyone in the room turned their attention to the Watch Captain, who’d struck the keyboard repeatedly in such a way that it ended the transmission.

Before anybody could say anything, he bowed, barely missing the desk with his head. “My Senior, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to act out, it’s just...I almost lost my life today, and...I couldn’t listen to that anymore. I can’t bring myself to trust anybody who’d make something like that... _ thing _ .”

“Indeed,” Meta Knight chimed in. “That company, Night Mare Enterprises, is not to be trusted. They deal in death and destruction, and even if that is something you desire...though I cannot imagine why...it will not be long before you find it turned back onto you, as in the case of the monster you ordered, which I discovered attacking these guards.”

“You seem to know...a lot about them.” The Poppy Bro Senior said.

“As I said before, knowing and defeating their monsters is my life’s work, as it is for many Star Warriors. NME manipulates customers into using their services, which in turn allows them to station their forces throughout the universe. Every purchase, every beast brought into existence directly leads to their growth, and with their growth comes a further risk of being subjugated. They do not care who they scam, they do not care who they endanger.” Meta Knight pointed the tip of his sword at the Senior, causing all three of the Poppy Bros to assume a defensive position. “If you value your planet, if you value your people, if you value your freedom, you will destroy whatever it is that you used to bring Impo here.” 

At this, he glanced around the room and sheathed the blade at his side.

The Senior did not appreciate being threatened, especially by someone who had made an incredibly compelling point that was very difficult to refute. “If I do…” he said, “then we’re going to be fighting for some time.”

“Even so, your battles are best fought on your own.” Meta Knight, satisfied that he had made his point, turned on his heel and began to walk away. He’d just reached the entrance of the building when the Watch Captain approached him.

“Hey!” He called. “Hey, wait!”

The Star Warrior stopped and sighed, turning to face his pursuer.

“Hey, uh, hi.” The captain cleared his throat and straightened. “I wanted to thank you for saving us. I had a duty to protect the patrol, and I failed. Very hard. And if it weren’t for you, we’d be dead.”

“This is correct.”

“Oh, uh…” The Poppy Bro Junior wasn’t quite expecting such a...response.

“Of course,” Meta Knight continued, turning back away from him, “I would not blame you for the events of tonight. Your superior gave in to a dark impulse for the sake of a victory. In a way, it is understandable. It would appear that he believed he was doing what was best for your tribe, but such desires are easily corrupted. You are all very lucky that you did not face the full consequences.”

“Yeah, uh, for sure, which is why I’m thanking you.”

“I see.”

There was a short, awkward silence. The knight used this opportunity to start to leave again, but he was once again halted by the captain.

“One more thing...I’ve been curious. Why did you come here, anyway?”

“I travel many places for many reasons.”

“... _ Okay. _ What’s the reason for here?”

“I simply needed to stop at a place, as sometimes occurs when one travels.”

The Poppy Bro was surprised. “So this was just...a coincidence?”

“Perhaps...but also not quite. Star Warriors have ways of determining where it is that monsters appear.”

“So wait, you looked for a place where monsters were to stop at?”

“No.”

“So it  _ was _ a coincidence?”

“As I said, not quite.”

The captain was beginning to see why maybe this...person...traveled alone. He sighed and asked one last question. “Will we see you again?”

Meta Knight glanced up at the sky, yellow eyes briefly flashing green. “Nothing can be said for certain. Although, if we do meet again, it will likely be under much worse circumstances.”

“Do you mean...if Our Senior gets ahold of another monster from that place?”

“Perhaps, or perhaps not.”

“...Guess we’ll see, then.”

“Indeed.”

There was another pause.

“...Until then, I guess,” the captain said, clearly restraining some sort of emotion in his voice, “Good-bye, Meta Knight.”

“Farewell.”

Once again, the Star Warrior departed, this time uninhibited, leaving the Watch Captain and, eventually, Towara-- with its shining moon-- behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, all! 
> 
> So, while I'm FAR from new to the realm of fanfiction, this is my first story on AO3. I've been struggling a bit with whether or not to actually publish this story, because honestly I kept doubting its quality and being concerned with whether or not people would take issue with my interpretations of characters and events. Eventually the story came to occupy so much time in my head-- without paying a single DIME of rent-- that it almost felt like a necessity to put it SOMEWHERE, regardless of how it would be received.
> 
> Besides, if you made it this far, how bad can it be?
> 
> At any rate, this is largely going to be a series of headcanons and scenarios I'd thought of arranged loosely into narrative form, with an attempt to emulate the tone and style of the anime. Or at least...some aspects of it. I understand that especially for a first chapter/prologue thing, this is a little bit heavy for that.
> 
> Granted...knowing what we do about how this will go, did you expect anything less?
> 
> Future author's notes won't be this long, I just felt it would be helpful to explain some things from the get-go. Thanks for reading! I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
> 
> ~REM


	2. The Duty of an Attendant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our hero becomes our her _oes!_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, just as a warning, this chapter is well over twice as long as the first.
> 
> This isn't going to be a pattern. In fact, I didn't plan for this chapter to be even half of its current length. But, ya know, it is what it is. On that note, though, I would like to hear opinions on chapters that turn out this way. I have chapters that are specifically meant to be split up in order to emphasize their importance or intensity, but if another chapter meant to be single runs over-long like this one, should I split it up? Any input would be appreciated <3
> 
> At any rate, I hope you enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it! ~REM

A spring breeze lightly lifted Meta Knight’s cape as he stood before the entrance to the chambers of the Knuckle Chieftain. 

It was a small building, only slightly bigger and more decorative than the houses around it. If he had to guess, the culture here was of a hardier, more grounded type, and while that came with some light jeering and sarcasm as he’d asked for directions to this place, it was somehow the least hostile area he’d encountered in travelling through the Kingdom of Veridan. The area, a small town called Prima, if the sign he’d read was accurate, was much smaller than the bustling city out of which he’d been practically shoved-- more walkable, too.

As far as he could understand, through those who’d bothered to answer his questions beyond “please show me to the nearest person of authority,” or who were not a child attempting to practice their fighting technique on the nearest ball-shaped passerby, Prima was mostly populated by and at least partially under the sovereignty of the Knuckle Tribe and its chieftain. While this was very useful to know, it did not provide an adequate explanation as to how exactly he was supposed to interact with said chieftain-- at least, not without the convenience of a monster attack.

Despite this, he casually entered the building.

Beyond the door was a room with little more than a small desk, at which sat a broad-shouldered, fairly bored-looking receptionist. They wore a gray shirt and a black jacket, both seeming to be made of sturdy material, their voluminous auburn hair held back from their face by a silver headpiece that seemed to be a common accessory among the people of the town. Upon seeing someone enter the room, they straightened immediately and flashed a cheery grin, giving no indication that just a second ago they’d been absentmindedly rolling a pencil back and forth across the desk.

“Good afternoon...si-...ma-...visitor!” They greeted in a high-pitched voice. “How can I help ya today?”

“I would like an audience with the Knuckle Chieftain, please.” The knight replied, attempting to be as formal and straightforward as possible.

The receptionist tried not to look too off-put by the stiffness of this stranger, masking it with a slightly-less cheery and slightly-more bewildered smile. “Do ya have an appointment?”

“No.”

“...I see. What exactly is it that ya need? Maybe I can help ya out!”

“You cannot.”

The abrupt shut-down was unexpected, and frankly was putting this rando on a fast-track to getting a less-than-stellar front desk experience. “Are ya sure about that? Ya nevah know.”

“...I would like to meet with the king of Veridan. If what I have heard is correct, he has information that will be very helpful to me.”

“...Okay, so, uh, Guy...I ain’t the front desk for that.” The receptionist was no longer hiding their bewilderment. “I could prolly direct ya to someone who would help ya more.”

“...Perchance, would that include the Knuckle Chieftain?”

“... _ I guess. _ But ya gotta make an appointment.”

“Very good.” Meta Knight nodded, then asked, “Is there an open appointment for right now?”

“For-!”

_ Who  _ is _ this guy? _ The receptionist thought, instinctively checking the schedule before them in response to the question, then closing their eyes and sighing.

“Yes. There’s an appointment for right now. But ya know, it’s really bad practice to-”

“Thank you very much, my friend. I will await his presence when he is ready to receive me.” At this, he walked over to a chair and hopped up onto it, standing with his arms crossed in front of him, wrapping him in his cape.

They sighed with a passive-aggressive heaviness as they penciled in the appointment, somewhat resenting that their common sense was so heavily outweighed by their desire to get this guy out of their sight without incurring criminal charges. It was not long before the receptionist returned to inform Meta Knight that his audience was ready.

The inner chamber of the building was a bit more decorated than the front, adorned in what were likely symbols and historical moments of the town and tribe. The person who was presumably the Chief of the Knuckle Tribe sat in a chair that looked much fancier than the receptionist’s, and the man himself seemed to be bigger, and certainly older. The headpiece he wore had the same purpose and effect of holding back his greying, slightly-less-voluminous hair, but it was bronze-colored and more ornate, featuring green gems. On either side of his similarly-fancy-looking desk were two attendants, both dressed in black, wearing light, grey capes. Both of them had a sword sheathed on their back, both of them wore metal masks that obscured all but their eyes, and both of them...were slouching.

Even the Chief himself was leaning back in his chair when he folded his hands in response to his visitor.

“I gotta say, Guy,” he greeted, “I’m pretty impressed at how much guts ya gotta have to try somethin’ like this.”

“...Thank you. I...do indeed have...organs.” Meta Knight replied, giving it his best go at trying to interpret this foreign expression.

Apparently it’d worked, as the Chief released a hearty laugh, as did his attendants.

“You’re pretty funny!” He remarked.

“...Yes, thank you, Honorable Knuckle Chief.” The knight decided to roll with this.

“Oh please, Honorable Knuckle Chief was my father. You can just call me Chief Jonah.”

“...Okay...Chief Jonah…”

“Now what can I do for ya, Guy?” Jonah asked in a calmer, but still genial tone. “Gotta be important, huh?”

Finally, business.

“I am aware that you have a working relationship with the monarch of this kingdom, no? I require his presence.”

“...Wait...huh?” The Chief straightened. “Ya wanna try n’ talk with King Max? What, are ya silly? That guy don’t try to make time for nobody who ain’t caught his attention. And lemme tell ya, even as someone who’s gotta meet with ‘im on the regular, it is a  _ trouble _ to keep his attention.”

“Unfortunately, Chief Jonah, Sir, I do not have the privilege to come away without such a meeting.” Meta Knight explained. “It is to my understanding that he has information that is quite vital to me.”

“What kind?”

“...The sort that is relevant to the safety of the people of this planet.”

Jonah suppressed another laugh. “Ol’ King Max? Carin’ about any place outside of Cast-...Veridan? I’ll believe it when I see it.”

“In such a case, I would greatly appreciate any assistance that you can lend me, so that I could, indeed, allow you to see its benefit.”

“...You know what, Guy?” The Chief leaned back once more, scrutinizing his caller briefly before continuing, “Ya caught me in a good mood, and frankly, I like ya. Tell ya what, I’ll send ya with an escort. Make it look more like ya got important business n’ such. See if ya can’t finagle your way into seein’ the king.”

“Thank you, Chief Jonah, I am endlessly grateful.” The knight bowed.

“Okay, okay, sort yourself, Guy. It ain’t that big.” The Chief waved his hand dismissively, then looked at the blond, maroon-skinned attendant to his right. “Jecra!” He said authoritatively.

The attendant straightened immediately, seeming almost surprised to be called. “Sir!” He replied.

“Would ya mind escorting our new friend here to the palace in Castle Square? Maybe try n’ get ‘im a meeting with the king inside?”

“‘Course, Sir.” The attendant-- Jecra-- replied. “I’d be happy to.”

The Chief nodded. “All righty, then. Good luck.” He chuckled. “Lemme know how it went, yeah?”

“You got it, Sir.” Jecra replied, nodding, before turning to his newly-appointed charge. “Alright, Guy. You’re comin’ with me! All ready?”

“At no point was I unprepared.” Came the reply.

“...Okay, then. Cool.” Jecra shook off his light unease and started out of the office. “C’mon, then.”

“Hey, try not to get in too much trouble, yeah?” Jonah called after them, causing his attendant to sigh and lightly chuckle.

“I’ll do my best, Sir.” He replied.

The receptionist, who’d returned to their bored state after Meta Knight had entered the inner chamber, perked up again as the two left.

“Have a good one!” They said, their smile seeming even more cheery than before as they waved goodbye.

Outside, the people and streets were as they had been before Meta Knight entered, though with an attendant to the Chief at his side, the people seemed friendlier and more curious about their errand. 

“What’s goin’ on? Somethin’ important?” One person asked.

“Just bringin’ this guy to do a thing, ya know. Business.” Jecra answered.

“I hear ya!” The person responded, seeming satisfied with this response.

“Jecraaaaaaaa!” A high-pitched voice called. The child who’d been practicing their skills earlier ran toward them, the skirt on her simple, dirty red dress flying out behind her. “Jecra, Jecra!”

“Hey, Ciraco. What’s goin’ on?” Jecra stopped walking to greet the child.

“I’m learnin’ Smash Punch! Wanna see? Wanna see, huh!?”

The attendant chuckled. “Alright, kid. Just make it quick, okay? I gotta do a thing with this guy.”

Ciraco looked at Meta Knight then laughed. “Oh yeah, that guy. He was so scared he wouldn’t even LOOK at me earlier! Watch this, Guy, you’re gonna SHAKE!”

“I was ignoring you.” The knight remarked.

Ignoring him, Jecra crouched down and looked intently at her. 

“Go for it!”

Ciraco nodded and got into a ready position.  _ “Smash Punch!” _ She shouted as loud as she could, punching forward. As she struck, a small lick of blue flame emerged from her gloved fist, flickering out a short distance from her hand once the move was complete. Her look of intense concentration faded almost immediately into a look of anticipation as she turned to face Jecra.

“Did ya see it? Did ya? I can make it glow now! Did ya see?” She asked, bouncing up and down on her toes.

“I saw!” Jecra replied, clapping. “Ya even got it to fly! That can be real hard.” He stood up. “At this rate, I bet you’ll be tryin at a Risin’ Break in no time. Keep it up, kid!”

There were practically stars in Ciraco’s eyes as she watched the attendant start to leave again.

“Yeah! It’s gonna be awesome!” She turned to Meta Knight, a mischievous grin on her face. “You watch out, Guy! I’m gonna be the strongest fighter in the whole world!” She punched forward again, this time without a flame. “Boom!”

“...Okay.” Meta Knight replied, turning away from her to follow his escort.

“Seeya later, Ciraco!” Jecra called behind him as the child bounced off.

As they headed toward the town border, the attendant looked down at his companion. “Not really the talkative type, are ya?”

“No.” The knight replied flatly.

“Not the eager type, either, huh?”

“It depends on the situation.”

“Mm-hm…” Jecra trailed off and stared forward. 

_ Doesn’t really seem to be the friendly type, either. _ He thought.

As they approached the bridge over the river-barrier between Prima and the city of Castle Square, the attendant stopped and lifted his mask onto his head, humorously flattening his hair. The action revealed his face-- young, somewhat-sharp, certainly not bearing the serious demeanor that Meta Knight would expect from someone in his position. His dark orchid eyes squeezed shut as he yawned, then opened to half-lid as he rubbed his nose. He looked back down at his charge.

“Okay, Guy, we’re ‘boutta enter the city. You’re prolly gonna wanna take off your mask.”

“No, thank you.” Meta Knight replied.

“I mean, ya don’t got much of a choice. People in the city get real weird when they see someone who won’t show their face. Makes ‘em nervous.”

“That is very unfortunate for them.”

“Yo, Guy,” Jecra was beginning to get impatient. “Look, I’m sorry if ya got, like...I dunno, I don’t wanna be insensitive or whatevah...like if there’s a thing...with your face...but if ya go into a big ol’ crowded area with a mask on, you’re gonna look kinda sus. Let alone what the king ya wanna see so bad’s gonna think. He don’t take too kindly to that kinda thing.”

“As I said before, that is very unfortunate for them.” Meta Knight replied. “I am not willing to compromise, but if this is indeed the case, then I am thankful that you will be at my side to explain, Knuckle Jecra.”

“Just Jecra’s fi- wait!  _ I’m _ gonna explain?”

“As I said, thank you.”

“Whoa, hey, pal. I’m just your escort. I’m not here to cover for ya or whatevah!”

“I can cover for myself quite well, but with your help-”

_ “Yo.” _ The attendant stopped himself and took a deep breath, rubbing his nose with irritation. “Listen, okay? You’re the one bein’ done a favor here. The least you can do is as the Castle folks do, if ya catch my drift.”

“If I catch...?” The knight cocked his head to the side, still not moving from his arms-crossed position.

“...Okay. Okay. O-kay. Ya know what?” Jecra faced forward again. “Fine. Have it your way. We’re gonna go ahead. You see how far ya get. It ain’t my problem if we get turned away, anyway.”

“Of course.” Meta Knight nodded as they proceeded across the bridge.

The two proceeded through the city. The knight had to admit that it was much, much easier to deal with a bustling crowd with someone their size at his side. The people in the city did, indeed, seem to regard the two with some form of suspicion, keeping their distance.

Despite the noise of the city, filled with vehicles and a rainbow of voices, Jecra couldn’t quite shake the feeling that it was too quiet, so again, he attempted conversation with his charge.

“So, uh...where ya from?” He asked.

“Somewhere quite far from here.”

“Oh yeah? Like...where? Another kingdom? Or are you one of those guys from those towns in the places where the weather’s all crazy?”

Hearing about the weather patterns brought back memories of how difficult it had been to get there. The planet they were on, Floria, had a climate that could be so volatile that it would seem to change entire seasons within hours. Such conditions made landing incredibly difficult, and he was grateful that the person he needed to see was in a rare pocket of stable weather, where it seemed to always be spring.

“...I...would prefer not to speak much of home.”

“Ah, crazy weather, got it.”

“...”

“Anyway,” Jecra continued, as if not noticing his charge’s silence, “It’s pretty nice here, you could prolly stay awhile. Ya gotta loosen up to fit in in Prima, but I’m sure if we worked on it and got ya over that mask thing, you’d settle in real nice.”

“I do not plan on doing such a thing. Once I have what I need, I will depart.”

“Oh. In a hurry?”

“You could say that.”

The attendant was once again off-put by the knight’s curtness, but he did not let this deter him. “...What is it ya wanna hear from King Max, anyway? I hear he’s kind of a...ya know...a guy with a couple screws loose.”

“Regardless of his mechanical state, I am looking for somebody, and that man will have information that will lead me to them.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yes. Are you listening to my responses properly, Knuckle Jecra? You ask for confirmation quite a bit.”

“Just Jecra’s fine, Guy, and...I’m just talkin’. I don’t get on ya for your weird short answers, do I?”

“No. I suppose not.”

Jecra nodded. As they passed through a marketplace in front of a large, imposing castle, he gasped and jumped with surprise to hear the knight ask a question for a change...from the top of a streetlight.

“Your town, Prima, it has its own ruler. Why is it that you answer to the king?” He asked, staring at the castle.

The attendant took a second to recover before answering. “W-well, uh...we share a space, guy, and he has more of it.” He shrugged. “Prima’s part of Veridan. When the place is surrounded by the kind’a conditions ya find on Floria, ya gotta...ya know...compromise and play nice with your partners. Accept that ya get what ya get.” He glanced at the castle with an unreadable look before snapping out of it and continuing. “Uh, and besides, we leave each other alone for the most part. It’s kind of a good deal, ya know...when ya think about it...”

“I suppose…” Meta Knight replied thoughtfully.

“...Hey, so, uh, how did ya...why did ya…?” Jecra wasn’t able to finish his question before the knight began another one.

“This is our destination?”

“Uh...yeah.”

Meta Knight nodded and hopped to the ground, walking forward as if he knew where he was going.

“Yo, Guy! For the love of-” The attendant caught up to his charge.

**/*|*\**

Just inside the palace, the two found themselves in a large corridor that seemed to encircle the whole building, from what Meta Knight could guess. Its ornate decoration and the presence of displays and crowds indicated that this was a place meant to show off to the public. Directly in front of them, they were met with two fully-armored guards, their face plates up on their foreheads, their expressions serious. Behind them was a heavy wooden double-door.

“Hey, there, fellas.” Jecra approached them, his casual greeting a contrast to his rigid posture and salute. “I got someone where who needs to see His Majesty. Says it’s important to safety. Any chance that could happen?”

“His Royal Highness is not accepting visitors today.” The guard to the left of the door said, flatly and with authority.

“Come back when a proper appointment can be made.” The guard to the right of the door added in a similar tone.

“Okey doke, keep on keepin’ on.” The attendant replied no less casually, walking away and turning to face the knight. “Sorry, Guy, we tried but-” As his eyes locked with the space in which Meta Knight  _ used _ to be standing, he found to his horror that the knight had vanished.

A quick scan of the corridor led him to spot the masked figure walking down it, and then turning the corner.

In order to keep from alerting the guards-- guards who had apparently somehow missed the moment at which their would-be visitor disappeared-- Jecra remained calm and walked as quickly and non-suspiciously as he could in the direction of his charge. It wasn’t long before he found said charge staring at another heavy wooden door, holding the large, heavy padlock attached to it.

_ “Guy!” _ Jecra hissed as he approached him. “Are ya silly? Cracked? What in the fresh...ugh, damnit, what do ya think you’re  _ doing _ , Guy? Ya wanna get arrested? Cuz  _ this _ is how ya get arrested!”

“Does this door lead further inside of the palace?” Meta Knight asked once the rant was finished.

At this, the attendant was so dumbfounded that he saw himself fall back on the actual answer to the question. “Y-yeah. To the mezzanines of the inner palace.” Once he’d said that, he realized something and scanned the area once again. “Kinda weird, though, it’s usually guarded…”

Several clicks and a loud metallic  **CHUNK** drew his attention back to to the door, or rather, to the knight  _ shoving a sword into its lock. _

The first thing Jecra thought to do was hide that this was happening, something that was very easy given their comparative sizes. The second thing he thought to do was try to grab at the...person...attempting to break into the chambers of his monarch.

_ “Yo, Guy!” _ He practically snarled,  _ “What the f-” _

Three pieces of a broken lock hit the floor, interrupting the attendant and freezing him mid-grab. Slowly, with pupils shrunk in shock, he looked from the ruined security device on the floor to the knight opening the now-unlocked door.

“How...did ya... _ do _ ...that…?” He asked, his voice shaking a bit.

Meta Knight did not answer as he passed through the door to ascend the narrow steps behind it.

Jecra straightened and looked around. A few people stared at him holding the open door. 

“...Don’t mind me…” He said, subtly kicking the lock inside. “Just...maintenance.” He rubbed his nose with irritation and entered, closing the door behind him to continue chasing a knight.

“Hm, it seem to be quite dark in here.” Said knight’s voice came from ahead.

“Yeah, ya know, they only really light it when there’re events on the mezzanine. Ya know, things they invite people to and that the door is unlocked for because  _ people are supposed to be there. _ ” The attendant replied.

“Interesting.” Meta Knight reached the top of the steps and glanced around, either not noticing or ignoring the passive-aggressive tone of his escort’s comment.

The mezzanine stretched all around the main chamber of the inner palace, high off the ground, holding many white-and-pink-tableclothed tables with antique-looking wooden chairs stacked upside-down on top of them. The area was lit dimly from the large skylight in the main chamber. Meta Knight looked down from the stone guard rail that formed the outer border of the mezzanine.

Jecra, just arriving at the top of the stairs, saw this and approached him.

“There are guards.” The knight remarked quietly.

“Gee, it’s almost like we’re in a restricted area of a royal palace or somethin’.” The attendant answered, rolling his eyes and rubbing his nose. When he looked down, however, he noticed something strange. “Ya know, though, there are...kinda a lot of ‘em…”

Below, one of the members of the Veridan Royal Guard thought he’d heard something and glanced upwards, only to see nothing. He shrugged and turned his attention back to his commander.

“Are the proper munitions prepared for the expansion effort, captain?”

“Yes sir,” another guard, presumably the captain, answered.

The commander nodded. “Good. Report to the courtyard for briefing and training. Heavy resistance is expected from Prima.”

“Yes sir!” Came the response from the other guards, following their commander through a door out of the side of the inner palace.

Above, each behind adjacent support columns, Jecra and Meta Knight waited for the sounds of footsteps to fade. Once they did, Meta Knight peered out to ensure that the main chamber was empty.

“It seems our situation has become somewhat...complicated.” He said.

There was no response.

He turned to look at his escort, who seemed to once again be frozen in place, staring at the ground.

The amount of thoughts and emotions swelling in Jecra’s throat and chest was almost unbearable. It was frankly a miracle that he wasn’t screaming and swinging. But what would he even be swinging at? What was he going to do? Why was this happening? Was a kingdom not enough? Was compromise really too much work? What? Why? How? Wh-

The attendant inhaled deeply, suddenly feeling possessed by an eerie calm, or at least an eerily-hyper focus. He exhaled and made a definitive swipe against his nose.

Meta Knight was unsure what to make of the state of his escort. 

“...Knuckle Jecra?”

“Ya still want that audience with the king?” Jecra pulled his mask down over his face, pushing his hair back into its original, spiky shape.

“My objectives have not changed.”

“Good.” At this, Jecra grabbed onto the banister beside him with one hand and used it to launch himself off of the mezzanine, seeming unaffected by his impact on the floor. If anything, given the fact that he landed with his other fist facing downward, a new crack in the floor indicated that  _ it _ was more injured than  _ he _ was. “Keep up.”

The knight followed suit, using the air filling his cape to land almost noiselessly. Admittedly, it was difficult to follow the command he’d just been issued, as Jecra’s walking speed was now more suited to a different definition of charge.

The two went down a hallway perpendicular to the one which led to the courtyard. It, like most of the palace, had much decor-- most of it gold, white and blue. The longer they travelled without encountering resistance, the more upset Jecra became. Were there really so many people gearing up to invade his home that there was nobody to guard the throne room?

His suspicions were confirmed when they came to the end of the hall, at which sat an unreasonably tall, heavy-looking set of red double doors trimmed with gold. Jecra wordlessly reached for a handle, then pulled the door open with such force that the sound of the metal handle hitting the polished-stone wall reverberated throughout the whole inner palace.

Meta Knight glanced at the damage, not seeming very concerned as he entered the throne room with his escort, pulling the door closed behind them with surprisingly little effort.

The throne room was a large square room, one wall made up entirely of full bookshelves, the opposite plain except a TV screen, and the wall across from the doors ornately decorated, as if to herald the blue throne that sat in the middle of it. The floors were marble, decorated only by a gold-trimmed plush red carpet and a white-clothed, set table.

“He ain’t even here…” Jecra uttered, fists clenched at his sides. “Coward can’t even be bothered to be where he’s supposed to be when he’s gonna-” He took another breath, walking over to the throne and throwing it aside. “Whatevah. I’ll just wait for ‘im. He’s gotta come back sometime. I’ll keep ‘im conscious, ‘cuz I know you wanna talk to ‘im or somethin’. You’re lucky I’m bein’ good to ya, Guy, otherwise...” He trailed off as he saw the other’s slow, wordless approach to the bookshelves.

“Surely…” he mumbled, causing his escort to cock his head to the side in confusion, “If they trusted him...he would not…”

“...Guy…?” The attendant called, some of his rage subsiding to be replaced by puzzlement. “What’s the matter? Never seen books before or somethin’?”

In response, Meta Knight placed his hands on either side of three red-spined books and took them all off the shelf at once, turning them cover up and opening one.

Jecra was about to call after him again, but was cut off before he could do so.

“Knuckle Jecra.” 

“Just Jecra’s fine...are you?”

“No.” The knight accentuated his reply by firmly flipping the book closed. “There is something we must address prior to the king’s return. It is likely that the scale of destruction to your home will be much greater if we do not.”

“What? Ya mean...greater than a whole army could do?” The attendant turned to face him.

“Indeed. Quickly, we must search for-”

_ “Oh ho?” _ Came a chillingly unfamiliar voice from behind them. “Two strangers? In  _ my _ throne room? I suppose it’s more likely than I’d think…”

The two slowly turned to face the man closing the door behind him. He was slightly shorter than Jecra, though no less broad, and with red hair significantly less voluminous, matched to a thick handlebar moustache. He was adorned in a blue fuzzy robe that extended in a train far behind him on the floor, and a tall, red-and-gold crown sat on his head.

The man, presumably King Max, looked over his callers with a sneer. “I do not recall sending for business with Prima’s chieftain...nor do I recall inviting a...whatever creature you are...to have a chat. And I see that neither of you desire to show your faces…” He suddenly took up what could vaguely be called an offensive position. “ _Aha!_ _Assassins!_ I knew this day would come!”

“...Ya know how I said...that King Max...was maybe not the most reliable guy…?” Jecra mumbled, slowly showing his hands.

“You said something about screws…” Meta Knight replied, holding the books slightly farther away from the king.

“...Ah...screws, eh?  _ Automaton _ assassins! Ha, and here I thought your kind would be averse to that sort of thing. Color me impressed.” He nodded at Jecra.

Under his mask, the corner of Jecra’s mouth twitched.

“Your Majesty.” The knight addressed the king evenly. “I came here to ask something of you.”

The king looked down and then, himself, froze. “...Nothing you aren’t intending to  _ steal _ already, eh?? Return those to me at once, you...robot...assassin...what-have-you!”

“This has little to do with that, although... I am being honest, I did not expect this of you, given what I have heard.”

“Yo, Guy,” Jecra pleaded softly. “I kinda respect ya, not gonna lie, but  _ please _ shut u-”

“Oh  _ ho _ , that will not be the only unexpected thing that you will see of me!” From behind him, in a sheath very well-hidden by his robe, King Max drew a silver longsword.  _ “En garde, assassin!” _

Instinctively, Jecra reached behind him to draw his own weapon, but was halted by Meta Knight walking in front of him.

“Knuckle Jecra, it is vital that you do not draw. I am his target, and I will remain that way.”

“ _ What? _ You’re startin’ to sound just as cracked as ‘im!”

“I understand what it is that I am requesting of you. Certainly this encounter is of great importance to you, but I am afraid…” The knight shifted the books onto one arm, using the other to draw his own weapon. “...That I must ask you to trust me.”

The attendant hesitated, then, gradually, dropped his arms back to his sides, clearly not happy to do so. 

“Fine. I guess.”

His charge nodded his thanks, just in time to be rushed by a shouting king. The jab was very simple and, due to the shouting, very well-broadcast. Meta Knight easily side-stepped the blow as it dug into the ground just in front of Jecra, who jumped back in surprise. As the king reared back to attempt to strike at the knight, the attendant remembered that their objective had been to search.

Of course, there was the issue of what it was he was  _ searching for _ .

Immediately, Jecra’s eyes fell on the table, set elegantly for one. There was nothing  _ inherently _ suspicious about it, but something about it seemed to stick out. King Max famously gave the impression that he would prefer to eat in a grander, more elegant dining setting. He walked over to it, flipping the cover up on the side with the least glassware. It was no table he had ever seen, looking more like a powered-off electronic pad.

“Hey, Guy. Is this what you were gonna tell me to look for…?” He asked, exposing it further.

Both fighters stopped in their tracks and immediately turned their gazes to Jecra, swords still connected.

“Unhand that!” King Max cried, moving his blade to point it at the attendant. “That is my property! You’re going to get it dirty, and I tell you that thing was  _ expensive _ . Can you even visualize the amount of money I spent on that? It’s big. It’s a large amount. More than your whole  _ town _ could ever see, like, it’s truly-”

The king was interrupted by the point of an épée crossing dangerously close to his face, having passed through the shoulder of his robe. Too shocked to move, the monarch was helpless as he was pulled to the ground and pinned by that shoulder, coming face-to-face with his assailant.

“Your Majesty,” Meta Knight greeted in a perfectly even tone of voice, placing the books down. “Please, I must ask you a few questions.”

“You fiend!” Max replied uncooperatively. “You will get nothing!  _ Gua- _ ”

His call for help was cut off by the knight’s free hand covering his mouth.

“Sir, Your Majesty, this does not need to escalate. Once you answer me we will depart, and you will never see me again.”

“That’s kind of a bold promise, don’cha think?” Jecra remarked from across the room, letting go of the table cloth and crossing his arms.

“Do you understand?” Meta Knight asked, ignoring his escort’s comment. “If you call for help, you will be silenced again. I wish only to cooperate with you, please allow me to do so.”

Max mulled his options over. If, indeed, the assassin was agreeing not to kill him or put up a fight, then it could benefit him to cooperate. On the other hand, that was admitting a kind of defeat, and he really wasn’t a fan of that prospect. Eventually, he shot both of the strangers a glare and nodded, grunting his discontent with the decision.

The knight removed his hand and, as promised, the king did not call out, though he did proceed to make grumbling sounds until he was asked a question.

“Now, Your Majesty, I received word that a warrior with a golden mask had taken up residence here. When did this happen, and where did he go?”

“...As if I would invite someone so nondescript to live in my city.” Max answered, rolling his eyes.

“...I urge you to recall, Your Majesty. This information is very important.”

“...Ugh. Fine. I suppose that there was someone with something like that, all tiny and such, with a bunch of other little tinies.” He sighed. “They were interesting at first, but when they spoke it was just so boring, and it sounded like something I wanted nothing to do with. So I ousted them.” He made a waving motion with his hand. “Let them get the full experience of Floria. My treat.”

“You…”

“Where they went after that was their own business.” Max shrugged.

“...I see.” Meta Knight was in slight disbelief. If he could not rely on the information he had, it would render the whole trip useless. Well, perhaps not quite…

“One more question.” He said flatly, something in his demeanor becoming more stern. “Why did you enter this place alone?”

“...I had private business. You know, the private kind. With no strange men or robot assassins involved.”

“Did that business involve this?” The knight took one of the red books off of the top of the stack beside him, holding it before the king and exposing a tell-tale golden logo on the front.

“No.” Max snarked, assuming a nasally, mocking tone of voice. “I already  _ knew _ what I wanted out of that. Do I look like an amateur?”

There was a silence as the two of them realized what exactly had been revealed in the exchange.

“...Hey, uh...what does that mean…?” Jecra asked, not particularly enjoying being out of the loop.

“...His Majesty King Max has sent for a monster to enter the kingdom.” Meta Knight answered in a particularly gruff tone. “It is likely meant to assist in his efforts to subjugate your people, and what you have uncovered is his means of doing that.”

“This…?” The attendant looked down at the electronic pad, sending glass crashing onto the floor as he revealed it in its entirety.

“...You are not very bright, are you?” The knight remarked, looking from the poorly-disguised transporter down to his captive.

“My china…” Was all the captive uttered, sounding incredibly distressed.

“So...lemme get this straight. On top of whatevah the soldiers were gonna do...the king was gonna use this thing to…do it worse?” The thoughts and emotions were swelling again.

“Indeed.” Meta Knight nodded. “It may sound strange, but that device is capable of delivering beings capable of great destruction wherever it is placed.”

“Honestly,” Max seemed to have just tuned in after recovering from the trauma of seeing his dishware broken. “It’s very rude that you’ve seen to it to air my private business and say all of these nasty things. Obviously you wish to upend my glorious kingdom, and I will not stand for that. We are done here.  _ Gua- _ ”

The king was once again interrupted, this time by the great  _ crash  _ that resulted from the large blue flame of a punch driving itself straight into the center of the transporter, breaking it apart. Wordlessly, Jecra lifted his hand and shook the flame off.

This sent King Max over the edge. “You... _you_... _you_ …! _How dare you? What makes you think you have the right to even_ ** _touch_** _that device??_ ” His face was red, his frame shaking. “Have you ever stopped to _consider_ why it might be that nobody wants your kind around? The aggression, the unpleasantness? When you come across something you don’t understand you _burn it_! Maybe if you were more civilized the people of the kingdom would be more keen on keeping you around, but as it is it’s clear that you and yours are _just a load of-_ ”

**_WHAM!_ **

Meta Knight used the book in his hand to strike King Max with such force that it created an echo that reverberated throughout the room and rendered the monarch unconscious.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.” He said, placing the book back on top of the stack. “Your aid is no longer required.”

Jecra advanced and reached behind him, ready to finish what seemed to have been started.

“Jecra,” The knight addressed him, stopping him in his tracks. “You did not draw your weapon, did you?”

“...N-nah, I didn’t. Did ya just…?”

“Very good. I appreciate that you have given me your trust, and in return...I offer you my own.” Meta Knight picked up the stack of books and turned to face his companion. “These are for you.”

“...Uh...thanks…” The attendant replied, walking toward the knight and taking the stack from him. He flipped through the book on top. “What...are these…?”

“They are evidence of the crime that your monarch was about to commit. It is a catalogue from Night Mare Enterprises, an organization that deals in many things, but mostly monsters. There is one for whatever purpose their customers may wish to serve, but to order one will bring death and misfortune upon the customer as well as their enemies.”

Jecra nodded along as he looked through the catalogue, full of monsters, serial numbers, descriptions. He almost couldn’t comprehend what it was he was reading, it was beyond anything he’d ever seen. “And, uh…” he muttered, “you’re giving these...to me…?”

“Indeed.” Meta Knight nodded. “This place is your home. Your people do not know who I am, but they know you. They trust you, just as I am doing now, to do what is right. Whatever that is is for you to decide.”

“...Guy...I…”

“I will remind you of one thing that you may find helpful.”

Jecra lifted his gaze from the catalogue to look his companion.

“I will remind you that an outsider entered your town, demanded that your chieftain send me with an escort, broke into a castle and assaulted your monarch. You could not have known that this would happen, you did not even raise your weapon.”

“...Yeah, uh. I don’t think...I don’t think I really needed that. I was there.”

“So you were.” The knight glanced toward the door. “And perhaps the time has come where you should not be.”

“...What, ya mean, just...go? Like...leave?”

“Of course. What more can you do here? You have a job to complete, do you not?”

“...To be honest, Guy, I kinda thought we were gonna…”

“That would not be in our best interest. At least, it would not be in yours. Certainly you can understand why.”

Indeed, the attendant understood well what his companion meant. He wasn’t happy about it, but nonetheless he nodded, flipping his cape over his shoulder to conceal the catalogues.

Meta Knight nodded. “Good luck, Jecra.”

Jecra cocked his head to the side. “Not comin’?”

“Why would I? I am a criminal.”

“...Oh... _ oh!... _ oh.” Many more things now made sense to the attendant as he lifted his mask and turned toward the door. “I guess...I guess I’ll be seein’ ya, then.”

“Perhaps.”

Jecra took a deep breath and pushed open one of the doors with his unoccupied hand. To his surprise, there were two guards outside, guards who seemed equally as surprised to see him.

“A Knuckle tribesman...?” One asked in disbelief.

“The king didn’t have any appointments scheduled for today…” The second one added, leaning in closer to the attendant’s hidden arm.

“Yeah, it’s, uh...I got a special delivery…” Jecra lied, wondering if chaos was so normal here that him walking out of a room was more suspicious than the noises that had surely been coming from it before.

_ Tink! _

The distinct sound of metal hitting marble interrupted the impromptu interrogation, and as the guards inspected the source, their attention was immediately drawn completely away from their target, as they identified the king’s crown on the floor, having casually been tossed by a sword-wielding masked...person.

Both guards rushed into the room, slamming the door behind them and the attendant. Suddenly feeling as though he were on some sort of time limit, Jecra sped-walked toward the other side of the inner palace, exiting through the front doors. The guards on that end, whom he had almost completely forgotten about encountering before, gave him less trouble as he left.

“The king said he wasn’t taking appointments…” The guard on the left said.

“He changed his mind.” Jecra replied briskly, not stopping.

Stepping into the evening air felt a bit colder than usual. Maybe it was the shade of the castle against the setting sun, or perhaps it was the life-altering experience. It was hard to say. Nevertheless, the chill and the loneliness weighed on Jecra almost as much as the books in his arm as he walked through Castle Square, feeling much lonelier in the crowd on his second pass-through.

/*|*\

Evening turning to night as Jecra closed the door of the Chief’s chambers behind him. The air was colder, and somehow just as oppressive even now that he was empty-handed. The conversation had been long and painful, and while a plan was reached...he wasn’t entirely sure how it was that he would be able to manage it.

He walked forward a bit, then leaned back onto a light pole, sliding down into a sitting position, exhaling and closing his eyes as he went. It was the first real break he’d had all day.

“I trust that your meeting went well?”

Jecra’s eyes flew open, the back of his head hitting the pole as he jumped and cried out in shock (and pain).

Above him, standing perfectly-balanced on an adjacent pole, Meta Knight was looking down at him.

“Guy!” The attendant said, rubbing the back of his head. “Man...ya gotta...ya can’t keep doin’ that…”

“You seem troubled…”

“I mean...yeah, kinda.” Once the post-smack haze cleared from Jecra’s eyes, he looked up. “...Hey, wait, how did ya...actually, ya know what?” He shook his head. “I’m not even gonna ask. I got enough to deal with.”

“I can imagine.”

Standing up to start home, another, much less physical thing struck Jecra. He turned and looked up. “Hey, Guy. Ya got a name?”

“I am Meta Knight.”

“...That’s a fun one.”

Meta Knight shrugged. “As much as a name can be fun, I suppose.”

“So, uh, Guy...Meta Knight...ya got any place to be?”

“I will be departing soon, yes.”

“Is it a big rush?”

Meta Knight looked upward, carefully considering his answer. “I...suppose not.”

Jecra, too, had looked up, the slowly-appearing stars seeming to reflect in his eyes. They were particularly transfixing this evening, and he wasn’t sure whether it was because of the events of the day or if he was just more prone to being distracted from the results of those events.

“Uh...nice.” He said, snapping out of his trance. “Ya wanna come over for dinner, then?”

“...To eat with you…?”

“Nah, to set fires.” Jecra looked back and, seeing absolutely no sign of recognition of his sarcasm, sighed and clarified. “Yeh, to eat.”

The knight was hesitant. “I...am not sure that I should…”

“Nonsense, MK. We always make enough for leftovers, we’ll have plenty for you. And, uh, besides…” The attendant awkwardly rubbed his nose. “It’s the least I can do.”

“...If you...insist.” Meta Knight conceded, caught off-guard somewhat by the nickname. He leaped off the light pole and landed softly, once again following an escort.

/*|*\

“Jacky! You’re late!” The ginger-haired woman called when the front door opened. She wasn’t facing it when she heard it, much more occupied with keeping the child strapped to her front from grabbing at the platter in her hands. As she turned to place it, she caught a glance at the door, where her partner stood with an unfamiliar...person. “And ya brought a friend…”

“Yeah, uh, sorry, Nami. I know it’s all late notice n’ stuff.” Jecra said sheepishly, closing the door behind him. “Trust me, it’s all a real long story.”

“Can’t wait to hear it.” Nami replied, kissing his cheek.

“Oh...ya prolly can…” He rubbed his nose anxiously before continuing. “A-anyway, Nami, this here’s Meta Knight. I met ‘im on the job. MK, Nami. My main squeeze.”

“His only squeeze. As if he could get any more.” She laughed. “Nice to meet ya.”

Nami reached down to shake the knight’s hand. He took it and was nearly yanked to the ground by the unexpected strength of her handshake. The child strapped to her front cooed and tried to reach for the visitor.

“Oh quit your fussin’...” She muttered, straightening. She looked to her partner, taking the child out of his harness. “Someone’s been impatient all evenin’. Ya got some makin’ up to do.”

“Oh  _ yeah _ I do!” Jecra exclaimed, eagerly taking the child and bringing them face-to-face. “MK, I dunno how I could’a gone this long without introducin’ the strongest li’l guy in the whole world.” He swaddled the baby and carefully knelt down to show him off to his guest. “This here is Joe.”

“...I am not sure that he is the strongest person on this planet.” Meta Knight replied, scrutinizing the child. “In fact, I am almost certain that he is an infant.”

“...Yeah.” Jecra said, uncertain of how to reply. “Yeah, uh, he is.” He stood up and cleared his throat. “Maybe if I’m feelin’ nice tonight, I’ll let ya hold ‘im.”

“...Mm.”

“Jeez, Jack, where’d ya say ya found this guy?” Nami asked as she served herself, sounding less than amused.

“Ya know…” Her partner trailed off, gently bouncing the fidgety baby. “Work…”

“Speakin’ of…” She said, sitting down and gesturing across from her. “Seems like ya got a lot to say about your day that ya haven’t said yet.”

“Oh, well, uh, ya know.” Jecra placed Joe in a high chair, serving him a small amount of soft food. “It was long...and, ya know...a lot happened…” He made a plate for his guest and put it in front of a chair. “And ya know, uh...we sure do gotta talk about it…” He served himself and sat down next to his guest, across from his partner and child. “...Anyway, how was your day?”

“Fine.” Nami replied, narrowing her eyes. “Went real good. Didn’t meet any weirdos. Simple ‘n sweet. Yours sounds more interestin’.” She took a bite of food and a sip of water, then added. “Maybe even a bit shady.”

“Ah, whaaaat? Shady? Nah, just...just weird…” Jecra rubbed his nose anxiously and looked down at the table. “Ya know, escorted a guy into the city. Found some stuff out. Ya know, conspiracy stuff.”

“Conspiracy stuff…?”

“Man, MK, I just realized, I never even asked. What do ya do for a livin’, anyway?”

Meta Knight, standing wrapped-up on his chair, looked up. “I am a Star Warrior. My duty is to defend the universe and its people against forces of oppression and darkness.”

“...Okay, uh, that’s...that’s nice…”

_ “What conspiracy stuff, Jecra?” _ Nami snapped.

“Oh! Uh, turns out, ya know, there are some tensions and, uh...don’t worry. Everything’s gonna be fine. We’re all gonna be safe. I just gotta...ya know...skip town for a while.” With this, he reached for his own cup and tried to take a sip of what was inside. Unfortunately, there was nothing inside of it, so in the nervous frenzy that had begun to overtake him, he imitated slurping sounds to make this buffer between him and his stunned partner more believable.

“Ya...you...you  _ what _ ?” Nami exclaimed, not deterred at all by the manufactured barrier. “Jecra, what in the name of them Guys in the Sky did ya  _ do _ ?”

He sighed and put down the cup. “Listen, it’s not...ya know...I...King Max was gonna do somethin’ real bad and we found out and...it’s all real wild, okay? The Chief’s gonna brief ya on it-”

“ _ You _ better be briefin’ me on it before he does, Jecra!”

As the argument continued, Meta Knight caught notice of the agitated sounds coming from the baby sitting across from him. Joe was discontented, and his food was everywhere. The knight felt compelled to rectify this somehow-- perhaps out of kindness, or perhaps due to some aversion to the presence of a mess.

He walked to the other side of the table, bringing a napkin with him, and wiped away the food that was in front of the child. Intrigued, the child threw yet more food onto the table.

“...Joe…” Meta Knight mumbled, placing a hand on top of the child’s fluffy white hair. “Stop that.”

Joe said nothing, but took hold of the hand on his head, eyes wide with curiosity. Meta Knight cautiously allowed the child to do so as he held it in front of his face...then promptly stuck it in his mouth.

This greatly alarmed the knight.

“Little...little child, Joe!” Meta Knight tried to pull his hand away carefully, but the baby yanked it back toward himself with surprising strength. 

The adult was growing steadily more dissatisfied with this situation. With slightly more force, he wrested his hand away from the child, who put up no small fight in keeping his new teething implement. Once the knight’s hand was safely away, being scrubbed furiously with an extra napkin, Joe promptly began crying.

This greatly alarmed his parents.

“What in the  _ damn _ are ya doin’ with our kid?” Nami demanded harshly, emotions still raging from the current situation.

“Miss, I assure you that-”

“Nami, MK wouldn’t-”

“And what would  _ any of us know _ about what he’d do? You just met ‘im today and he thinks he’s some kinda space knight!”

The scene quieted as Joe did, happily finding a replacement for the knight’s hand in his cape, on which he enjoyed yanking and chewing in a similar fashion.

Jecra took a deep breath and smiled tiredly “Uh, MK...we’re, uh, real sorry about all this. Ya prolly didn’t expect food to be so wild.”

“I have come...to expect...many things…” Meta Knight muttered, grimacing under his mask as he gently pulled his cape away from the baby.

Nami took a breath of her own, picking up Joe before he could start crying again. “Yeah...maybe we should...talk about this later. In private. When there aren’t guests.” She lightly bounced the child, staring at him. “My bad.”

“...Maybe...we should...finish eating…” Jecra said sheepishly.

“Maybe…” Nami agreed, sounding distracted.

Meta Knight shrugged and went back to standing on his chair.

/*|*\

The rest of the night had been quiet, Jecra’s good-bye to his guest hesitant. While the food hadn’t been exactly what Meta Knight tended to like, and lukewarm by the time everyone had calmed down, it was better than anything he’d gotten in some time, and he was grateful. This was not a place he saw himself forgetting anytime soon.

Outside the borders of the kingdom, where the night air was chillier than before thanks to the residual winds from a winter storm not too far away, the Star Warrior stood by his silver ship, one hand wrapped in his cape, the other holding a stick, drawing into a patch of bare dirt. The symbols he drew resembled many circles and lines. A few of the circles had an “x” drawn over them, and he marked one more the same way, sighing.

It was unreasonable to expect that the fairies on Ripple Star would know exactly how to find what he was looking for, it was true, but that their account was the most detailed and, apparently, accurate-- at least to the extent that those warriors had, at one point, been there-- made for a biting disappointment. Meta Knight stared up at the sky, stick dragging on the ground. The stars looked different on every planet, though they were all the same ones. It made it difficult, but not impossible, to navigate, and it would appear that they were once again going to determine his fate.

Not that he was able to discern what that fate would be.

“There ya are.”

Meta Knight jumped and turned, poised to attack with the stick pointed in front of him. On the receiving end of the stick, Jecra put his hands up. As the shorter knight lowered his weapon, he noted several changes in the newcomer’s appearance.

In addition to the uniform he’d worn before, he gained a black chestplate with silver accents that covered most of his body and a grey cowl that matched his cape and covered his shoulders, over which rested the chain of a green and brass-colored locket with a blue gem in its center. On his right arm he held a shield bearing an insignia and gem matching that of the locket. He lifted his mask, once again pressing down his hair, and rubbed his nose.

“I’ve been looking for ya, Guy. Didn’t think you’d go out so far.”

“I see that you have changed…” Meta Knight planted the stick into the ground.

“Haha, yeah...I did…” Jecra rubbed the back of his head. “Hope I don’t look too silly.”

“I suppose that I have seen worse.” Meta Knight folded his other arm into his cape. “What has brought you here, my friend?”

“Oh, uh, well, actually it’s...a couple things.” The attendant looked down and rubbed his nose, then looked back up at his companion. “I...wanted to say...thanks, ya know, for all the stuff you did. It was all real stressful and illegal, but...if ya hadn’t, then...ya know, if I can admit something, I’m kinda scared to think about what would’ve happened.”

“That is understandable. What you have seen must be quite horrific to you.”

“...It...yeah, uh...yeah.” Jecra sighed. “Anyway, uh, another thing...that whole...warrior thing that you do. I think you said...Star Warrior?”

“I did.”

“Yeah, uh, is there...an application process for that? Like a boss Star Warrior man-- or woman, or whatevah, ya know-- who I gotta talk to?”

Meta Knight was silent for a moment, turning slightly away from his companion. “A Star Warrior is not ordained by a living being...or rather, not one that you would traditionally consider to be a living being.” He gestured upward. 

“...So, like, the Sky Guys do it?”

“The...what? No.” The knight cleared his throat and continued. “A Star Warrior is called to his duty by the very stars themselves. They are chosen for their strength, and their dedication to preserving light and freedom across the universe. Where despair rears its head, we are called to bring hope.” He withdrew his arm into his cape, then looked toward the other man. “I take it that you are curious for a reason?”

“...Yeah. I mean...yeah.” Jecra looked at the sky. “I been...havin’...feelings. Ya know, those…lookin’ at the sky feelings. It kinda makes me think that...you and I got somethin’ in common. And that maybe ya aren’t as...out of it...as some of us might’ve thought before.”

“It is very possible. There are many of us, and you seem quite dedicated to protecting what is precious to you.” Meta Knight looked back ahead. “Many Star Warriors become sworn protectors of their home planets, and it would seem that you are needed here.”

“Yeah, well, about that.” Jecra looked down, took a breath, and looked up. “I’ve been thinkin’ that I wanna go with ya.”

“Of course, that- wait.  _ What? _ ” For the second time in as many minutes, Meta Knight was shocked, indicated by the very brief flash of white in his eyes. He turned fully to face Jecra. “I...am not certain that you realize what it is you are saying.”

“Nah, I do. Listen...I get it. Ya seem like the kind’a guy who keeps to himself.” Jecra once again turned his gaze skyward. “But...I just know that I gotta do somethin’ bigger than what I got here. A guy we all trusted was gonna use things that we ain’t even ever  _ heard _ of to hurt us, and if there are other people like that out there, like  _ us _ ...then I know, MK. I  _ know _ that what I gotta do is go out there n’ make sure those guys have a real fightin’ chance of keepin’ what’s theirs.”

For a moment, Meta Knight was speechless. It wasn’t the speech that had rendered him that way, but rather the intense reflection of the stars in Jecra’s eyes as he’d made it. It was clear that the man was chosen and determined, and perhaps...could he have been directed here, somehow? He found it impossible to tell as he, himself, looked up. The stars’ reflection in his eyes looked different on every planet, which could make it very difficult to navigate.

But not impossible.

“...Do you understand, Jecra, what it is that you are asking?” He looked back down, staring intently at the other Star Warrior. “If you get what you desire, do you understand that this journey will be long and difficult, that you may not see the comforts of home, or comforts at all, for some time?”

“I dunno if ya heard, MK,” Jecra met his fellow warrior’s gaze, his eyes more tired. “But even if I stay, that’s already how it’s gonna be.” He looked beyond the knight, into the storm on the horizon. It had gotten much more severe since he’d arrived there. “Me bein’ here ain’t safe for anyone. There are people who saw that I was there when everything went down, and they’re not all that friendly. If I disappear for a while, it’ll be easier for everyone I love to be protected. I mean...that was the idea when I mentioned it, anyway.”

Meta Knight turned to face the storm himself, eyes green with thought for a moment before he turned his head slightly, the attendant barely in view. “Tell me, Jecra, did you assume that this would happen when you proposed that idea?”

“I dunno, really. It just kinda...felt right. I guess that I already knew you were leavin’ once all was said n’ done, and somehow it didn’t feel completely silly to think you’d have room for one more.”

“...You will have to find your own way off of this planet.”

“...Yeah, that can be arranged. Maybe not...all that ethically or whatevah, but...arranged.”

“Hm. Very good.” Meta Knight turned back away. “Return, then. When you are prepared, we will depart. Do not take too long.”

Jecra nodded, eyes now shining with determination. “You got it! You’re not gonna regret this, Meta Knight!”

With that, he turned and ran home, embraced by the warmth of a spring breeze that filled his cape, billowing it behind him as he went.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, all! 
> 
> So, while I'm FAR from new to the realm of fanfiction, this is my first story on AO3. I've been struggling a bit with whether or not to actually publish this story, because honestly I kept doubting its quality and being concerned with whether or not people would take issue with my interpretations of characters and events. Eventually the story came to occupy so much time in my head-- without paying a single DIME of rent-- that it almost felt like a necessity to put it SOMEWHERE, regardless of how it would be received.
> 
> Besides, if you made it this far, how bad can it be?
> 
> At any rate, this is largely going to be a series of headcanons and scenarios I'd thought of arranged loosely into narrative form, with an attempt to emulate the tone and style of the anime. Or at least...some aspects of it. I understand that especially for a first chapter/prologue thing, this is a little bit heavy for that.
> 
> Granted...knowing what we do about how this will go, did you expect anything less?
> 
> Future author's notes won't be this long, I just felt it would be helpful to explain some things from the get-go. Thanks for reading! I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
> 
> ~REM


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